MULTIMEDIA-ENHANCED CULTURAL INPUT AND EFL LEARNERS' INTERCULTURAL ATTITUDES: EVIDENCE FROM UZBEK SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between multimedia-enhanced cultural input and the development of intercultural attitudes among Uzbek EFL learners at the secondary school level. Building on Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory and Krashen's input hypothesis, the research examines how sustained exposure to carefully selected multimedia materials — including short documentary clips, authentic conversational video, and interactive cultural comparison tasks — affects students' openness to cultural otherness, their cultural empathy, and their willingness to engage in intercultural communication. Data collected from 45 Grade 10 and 11 students through attitudinal surveys, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observation over an eight-week period reveal significant positive shifts in all three attitudinal dimensions, with particularly strong effects for cultural empathy. The article concludes with a framework for selecting and sequencing multimedia cultural content for maximum attitudinal impact in Uzbek EFL classrooms, and discusses the implications of the findings for teacher education and curriculum design